Women-driven special cabs for women passengers were launched at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Monday, 7 January.

The new service, introduced through the combined efforts of Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), aims at ensuring security of women passengers travelling in the city, The Economic Times reported.

The women drivers of these cabs are said to be trained in self-defence tactics, and are well-versed in various languages. Adding to this, the facility aims to strengthen the safety measures for women passengers by including several features in booking these cabs, such as GPRS tracking and an SOS switch, the report added.

At the initial stage, a fleet of ten cabs driven by women drivers will be operational, following which the number will expand, depending on the demand for these cabs as well the feedback on it.

The service can be availed by both women passengers travelling by themselves as well as a group of women. Available through the day, the services are priced at Rs 21.50/km during the day (0600 to 2359 hours) and Rs 23.50/km at night (from 0000 to 0600 hours), the report adds.

“This concept has been implemented with the objective to provide a safe and secure mode of transport for women travellers from the airport, while simultaneously creating opportunities for women drivers to be self-employed and empowered.”

Adding to this, Hari Marar, Managing Director & CEO, BIAL told The Economic Times that the initiative of his company and KSTDC was a step in “ensuring that women are 100 percent safe, and travel safely”.

Furthermore, the two organisations have claimed that another goal of the initiative was to provide employment to the women living in the villages near the airport.